Turnabout Birthday
by Crazy Sunshine Hikaru
Summary: Slightly AU. Larry invites a bunch of people to go out clubbing to celebrate Edgeworth's birthday. Of course Edgeworth is upset with this, but he may change his mind... T for romance.
1. Chapter 1

Phoenix Wright and all related characters belong to Capcom, not me. I barely own the plot of this story. I also do not own Kuri (Crystal Kay), or her song "Baby Cop." She belongs to herself, and the song belongs to her. Now that that's out of the way...**  
**

**Turnabout Birthday**

**Chapter 1**

Earsplitting, high energy music with thumping bass lines blared over the PA system. The room was dark; only dimmed lights and different colored spotlights allowed one to see. A large clump of young adults packed themselves onto the polished dance floor whilst a considerable group of others congregated at the tables and along the bar. A strange mix of perfume, cologne, sweat, and alcohol permeated the air; surely it acted as an effective aphrodisiac after one consumed enough drinks. The air was thick with high hopes of "getting some," and the temperature was stifling. Edgeworth pulled at the collar of his shirt.

To be quite honest, Miles had little to no idea why his birthday should be celebrated in such a place. It definitely wasn't his idea; Larry was more than likely the one who decided that a club would be the best place to hold the festivities. That wasn't the worst of it, though. Everyone on the guest list showed up – Gumshoe, Franziska, Lana, Ema, and even Phoenix himself was bullied into showing up. Larry obviously wouldn't have the party without him, but he was absolutely the last person Edgeworth wanted to see on his birthday.

Another tug at his collar. Sweat was already forming on Edgeworth's forehead, and five minutes barely passed. With hesitance, he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt and made a beeline for the bar. Under normal circumstances, he would rather not resort to alcohol, but he had little choice. These circumstances were nowhere near ordinary, and at the time he thought the night was going to be long and weary.

Half an hour and a few shots of scotch later, Edgeworth found himself looking for the others. It wasn't too difficult; at the other end of the bar, Larry was piss-drunk next to Phoenix and flirting with a group of three women whose faces appeared to be heavily made-up. Edgeworth hated to think about what they might look like underneath. Franziska would occasionally whip one of the two. There was no surprise there. Gumshoe could be seen having his little bit of fun on the dance floor with Lana, and thankfully, both of them were sober. It felt like someone was missing, but he didn't concern himself with that. With a sigh and a shrug, he left his barstool and found a much more comfortable sofa to sit on.

Edgeworth's bum and back immediately thanked him for moving, but his eyes were soon cursing him. On the very couch he placed his rear end on, two very inebriated people (he hoped one of them was a woman) were shoving their tongues down each other's throats. The spaghetti he had for lunch that day nearly came back up on him, and Edgeworth quickly scanned the club for an escape. He found his escape through Ema.

More like his escape through Ema found him.

Before Edgeworth found a place to make a mad dash to, Ema Skye pulled him up by the arm and stood uncomfortably close to him. She obviously had been drinking too; she smelled of alcohol and was giddier than usual. Edgeworth blinked a couple of times. Ema giggled.

"Did anyone ever tell you that that surprised look on your face is kinda cute?" She spoke loudly to be heard over the hip-hop tune playing.

"Uh...no, they didn't. Should I thank you for that comment?" He backed a way two steps. Ema laughed again and moved in closer.

"Maybe, maybe not." Ema smiled mischievously and took Edgeworth's hands in hers. "Come on, birthday boy. Dance me." Edgeworth backed away again, stumbling into an unoccupied table.

"I-I'm sorry?" His perplexed expression transformed into a slightly panicked one. "Y-You want me to dance with you?" He gulped nervously.

"Of course, silly! The birthday boy can't stay over here by himself! And this is a club, after all!"

"B-But I–" Edgeworth felt his face start to blush.

"What? Don't tell me you've never danced before. Come on!" With a bit of a strained tug, Ema began leading the prosecutor towards the dance floor. "You can't just sit down and be bored all night! What kind of birthday would that be, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that..." A lead ball materialized in the pit of Miles's stomach, as this truly was his first time dancing. Informally, that is. With enthusiasm that couldn't be challenged by anyone else, Ema guided Edgeworth through the sea of clubbers and found a suitable place for dancing.

At first, Edgeworth refused to participate. It was too embarrassing to gyrate the way everyone else did, and as a successful prosecutor, he had his pride and dignity to think about. Ema attempted to coax him into moving with her, but for a while it didn't work. Edgeworth refused to stoop to such a level, declaring silently that he would need more scotch before moving his body in such a way.

Edgeworth's declaration wouldn't last long. Ema's movements became more daring, making Edgeworth wonder what Lana would say or think if she saw the two of them at that moment. Ema was swinging her hips wildly and shamelessly now, teasing her unwilling dance partner. Try as he might to be resilient, the rhythm of the music and Ema's swaying body was too tempting for Edgeworth to resist. He gradually warmed up and let his stoic demeanor drop, dancing along with her.

Still at the bar, Phoenix spied the unlikely pair while sipping on his glass of cranberry juice and vodka. The fact that Edgeworth was getting his groove on to "Baby Cop" aside, the sight was rather cute. Ema always did have a fan girl sort of crush on Edgeworth, and Phoenix was willing to bet that his childhood friend secretly liked the attention. It was an amusing thought to entertain, Ema and Edgeworth, and the only thing more amusing would be a video of the two together. Phoenix whipped out his cell phone to film the event.

"Excuse me, honey, I need to see what my friend here is doing," Larry excused himself to butt into what Phoenix was up to. "What's this you're doing, Nick?"

"Something that will be so awesome that not a single one of us will forget for the next forty years." A wide grin was plastered on Phoenix's face as he took another sip of his beverage and watched Edgeworth let loose. Larry peered in over Wright's shoulder to witness the once in a lifetime event. He soon picked up the same goofy smile.

"That's golden, Buddy. Just golden! Who would have thunk? Edgey gettin' down to Kuri! People would _pay_ to see that!" He slapped Phoenix on the back in a friendly way just as he took another sip. The liquid went down the wrong pipe while his steady hold of the phone was disturbed.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Phoenix snapped, coughing and trying to settle back into his original position.

"Woah, chill, Nick! I didn't mean any harm." Ticked off, Larry returned to the lady he was unsuccessfully wooing. Phoenix continued his filming until Franziska's whip removed his cell phone from his hand.

Before Phoenix could demand that the prosecutor with a whip fetish return his mobile communication device, a loud laugh came from her direction. Phoenix held out his hand, indicating to Franny that it was time to give the phone back, but she shook her head.

"That's just too cute. Lana needs to see this! Hey! Lana! Over here!" Luckily, Franziska's shouts couldn't be heard over the music, and Phoenix was able to recover the flip phone. His reward was another crack of the whip from Franziska.

"Yeeeowch!"

Meanwhile, Lana and Gumshoe were still stepping to the music. Lana hadn't heard Franziska call her, so she and Gumshoe continued on like the night would never end. The music slowed into an easy reggae track.

"You really are a delightful dancer, Ms. Skye," Gumshoe praised her, spinning her slowly. "You're such a talented woman. Dancing and prosecuting. I bet many girls are envious of you."

"Please, I'm not that great of a dancer," Lana admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You should see me when the lights are brighter. I look like a fool."

"Not as much of a fool as me." He laughed a bit, coolly placing his hands on her hips. "I can't dance at all. I couldn't even learn the Blue Badger dance."

"Learning that dance is difficult. I'd like to meet the person who knows it and knows it well." Her face heated up as she realized that Gumshoe was leaning in towards her. She didn't say anything about it, though.

"You're telling me, pal! And after all that free time I had to learn it. I could have made up all of those pay cuts by performing on the streets!" He chuckled for a few seconds, then his countenance decayed into the expression a wet, abandoned puppy in the middle of a bad thunderstorm would wear. "Man, I suck as a detective. I suck at life."

"That's not true!" Lana was quick to defend him. "I'm sure you can be a good detective! And even if working for the police department isn't your thing, there has to be something you can do well that will help you pay your electric bill!"

"Thank you, Ms. Skye, but I don't think that's really true. I'm just a failure." He let go of her and headed towards the bar. "You want something, Ms. Skye?"

"Um..." She wasn't sure how to respond. "Get me a coke. I don't feel like anything alcoholic tonight." She felt as deflated as Gumshoe looked. It was surprising how depressed he became in just a few seconds. Was he bipolar? Nah. Lana dismissed the thought and followed him.

Edgeworth and Ema, however, were still dancing away. He held the young lady close to him, swaying gently and his head resting on her shoulder. As his body worked through the alcohol, Edgeworth gradually became more conscious of Ema. He started noticing things that he normally would have ignored, like the hourglass shape of her body, or the smoothness of her flawless skin. She was giving off a tremendous amount of heat, causing him to perspire again. That sense of insecurity was returning, and Edgeworth suddenly didn't know what to do. His face reddened, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. So far it wasn't working; anxiety had a powerful grip on him all the way to his fingertips and toes. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply again. His whole body became tense.

"I think I need another drink," he said more to himself than to Ema.

Ema turned around and swung her arms around his shoulders and leaned her face in towards his, standing on her tippy-toes to achieve this.

"Did you say something, Mr. Edgeworth?" She gazed into his face, silently asking a different question with the anticipation shining in her eyes.

"Uh, no. I'm fine." He could feel her breath blowing against his nose, and more sweat formed beads along his hairline. Reluctantly, he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. Ema moved in closer. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Edgeworth," she replied, her face barely a few centimeters away.

Edgeworth stumbled backwards, still holding Ema. He couldn't remember being this close to a woman in years. His inexperience was humiliating, and Ema's scent scattered his thoughts with each time he inhaled. God knows Edgeworth wanted to pull away, but at the same time a strange sort of pleasure flooded through him. That's probably why he didn't resist when Ema gently pressed her lips against his mouth.

The kiss didn't last very long, but Edgeworth enjoyed it nonetheless. A swelling sensation started in his chest, and he bowed his head in for another smooch. Ema gladly cooperated, this time parting her lips enough to slip her tongue through. It came to Edgeworth as a small shock, but he went along with it. His face heated up once more, and it felt to him that if he warmed up any more he would start burning alive.

A few minutes passed before their mouths separated, and both of them were gasping for air. Edgeworth definitely wasn't expecting this on his birthday, and for the time his and Ema's lips were in contact with each other, he had forgotten that he never wanted to come here for his birthday in the first place. In that instant his mind was wiped completely of any thoughts. He wanted to reach that high again, and soon.

"You're a really good kisser, Mr. Edgeworth." Ema smiled, a dreamy expression occupying her face.

"Naw, not really. I'm out of practice."

"Really? I could hardly tell." Ema grinned, and Edgeworth sheepishly responded with his own smile, causing Ema to giggle. He kissed her again, leading her off of the dance floor with an idea hatching in his head.

"Let's go somewhere else." Edgeworth suggested, quickly scanning the crowd for the others before returning his attention to Ema.

"You mean it? What about the others? Are you saying we should ditch them?" Ema peered over his shoulder, looking for Lana.

"Why not? It's my birthday, and I should be able to do what I want."

"What about my sister?" Her question was answered with another kiss.

"What about her?" Edgeworth brushed Ema's sweat-soaked bangs out of her eyes. "She isn't drinking tonight. She'll be fine."

"But we didn't even sing happy birthday to you yet."

Edgeworth almost had an argument against Ema, but her pleading expression won him over before he opened his mouth.

"...Alright." He caved in easily, letting Ema drag him back to the bar where the others were.

After a few minutes of wrestling through several clumps of inebriated people, the couple was met with knowing smirks from Franziska, Phoenix, and Larry. Lana and Gumshoe were there, too, but they were unaware of the potential item Ema and Edgeworth were. None of them could speak before Ema.

"Okay, everybody. We're singing happy birthday now! Franziska, do you have the hat?"

Edgeworth gulped. "A hat?"

Franziska's smile widened as she reached into a paper bag and pulled out a cardboard cone hat with silver and gold streamers sprouting from the top. An elastic string hung from the bottom for securing the hat, and "Happy Birthday" was written in loud colors around the base. Edgeworth groaned to himself.

"Do I have to wear it?" he whined, his face twisted from the pain of humiliation.

"Yes," Larry answered solidly. "It's a rule of all birthday celebrations. Go on, put it on."

"I don't think I've had enough to drink to allow that." Edgeworth folded his arms.

CRACK.

In a flash, Edgeworth's left cheek was searing with pain from the whip.

"You'll wear the hat, and that's final." Franziska answered Edgeworth's scowl with one that even intimidated him.

"Fine! I'll wear the stupid hat." Grumbling profanities under his breath, Edgeworth submitted and donned the ridiculous birthday hat. Everyone else's spirits immediately lifted as they began the song, off key and only semi-coherent:

"_Happy birthday to you! You live in a shoe! You look like you're shitfaced, and you act like it too!"_

By the end of the song, Edgeworth's expression had darkened exponentially.

"Yeah. Real mature, guys." His face burned scarlet while Ema gave him a reassuring hug. Plucking off his ridiculous hat and dropping it in Phoenix's lap, Edgeworth made a beeline for the door, Ema attached to his arm the whole way.

"You're not upset, are you Miles?" Ema inquired, struggling to keep up with his brisk pace. "I mean, we were just having fun."

"I know, Ema..." He slowed down a slight bit. "It just seemed really...childish." His steps slowed even more. "I wasn't too much of an asshole back there, was I?" Edgeworth came to a full stop by the door.

"Nope." Ema rested her head on his arm. "Everyone reacts like that when we put them in that hat and sing that song. You're not an asshole at all."

"I sure feel like one, though."

"Don't." Ema smiled and reached up to peck his cheek. "It's your birthday. You shouldn't have any regrets. Not over something like that."

Edgeworth took a minute to digest what she told him, then slipped his arm around her waist.

"Alright, then. Let's go!" He and Ema promptly left the club.

Lana sipped on her cola thoughtfully while watching Gumshoe back his third shot of tequila. His mood had elevated a bit, but he still looked like a stray dog caught in the rain. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. It was a miracle he hadn't become a hobo yet.

"I must say, Detective," she started, watching Gumshoe sway a bit, "you have quite the tolerance for tequila. How do you do it?"

He shrugged, not saying anything.

"Do you drink it often?"

Gumshoe grunted and shook his hand a bit in a "so-so" manner. He was obviously a silent drunk.

"Where do you think Edgeworth has taken my sister?" She craned her neck to see if the question induced any reaction from Gumshoe's face.. There was none, but someone else nudged her in the arm.

"What kind of a dumb question is that?" Larry asked, slouching over the bar counter with a beer in his hand. "He's off getting busy." He winked, Lana's eyebrows raising in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"What else would he want from her? She's young, she's pretty, and she digs him! It doesn't take a forensic scientist to figure it out!" He laughed and patted her on the shoulder roughly.

"No, you're wrong." She shook her head, laughing at the thought. "My sister..she wouldn't...Edgeworth...Miles isn't like that at all! He would never...not with my sister! It's ridiculous!"

"Come on, now. You don't really believe that, do you?" Larry hiccuped. "Denying that is denying both of them any sexuality. Seriously." He tilted his head back to take a long swig of his beer. "What? Did you think Edgey was asexual or something?"

This time Phoenix chimed in with a loud guffaw.

"Larry, show me someone who _hasn't_ had that thought cross their mind. For as long as we both knew Edgeworth, he never displayed any interest in the opposite sex. He never displayed any in the same sex, either. He's been all work and no play his whole life."

"True...and now that he's getting older he's looking for some fun before it's too late. And who better to recruit than Ema? She'd jump at the chance to get in his jeans, sober or not." With that, Larry finished his beer and set it on the counter with a loud clank. "We all saw it for ourselves. Edgey and Ema are on each other like white on rice. Bartender, another one."

Lana was horrified. To her, the thought of her little sister with any man was a sin against nature. Sure, it was ridiculous to expect her to be innocent her whole life long, but of all the people to pick, why Edgeworth? He was what, seven, eight years older than her? Of course, that doesn't stop some people. Age was only a number, sure, but it was still wrong.

"Another tequila, please." Gumshoe's words slurred together, but they were still coherent. The bartender looked concerned.

"You alright, buddy? You look like you're about to collapse. How about some soda or water?"

"I_ said_ another tequila, pal!" His droopy eyes lit up with rage. Intimidated, the bartender poured him another one.

"Detective," Lana interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the bartender, "I don't think you should drink any more. Tequila's a powerful drink."

"Another one."

The bartender poured the glass and set it in front of the wasted detective. Gumshoe finished it in one gulp, teetered dangerously, and fell off of his stool, unconscious. Lana sighed.

"I hate to say I told you so, Detective."

* * *

Woohoo, first chapter done! This is my first Phoenix Wright story that I actually went through with writing, so I'd like lots of feedback, and many many thanks to those of you who read this. If you have any comments or constructive criticism, please feel free to share. I was up late at night writing this. -shifty eyes- 


	2. Chapter 2

**Turnabout Birthday**

**Chapter 2**

Brilliant sunlight poured through the french doors in the bedroom of Miles Edgeworth's apartment. A faint hint of perfume and an imposing presence of alcohol rushed through Edgeworth's nostrils as he awoke. His head throbbed, and there was only three things he was presently aware of. One, he was completely naked. Two, he very desperately needed a shower. Three, his arm was wrapped around something warm and soft. Edgeworth took a few minutes to process this.

_Oh no..._ His stomach dropped. Dread weighed heavily on his hung-over body, and he suddenly needed to use the bathroom. The blood drained from his face as Miles recalled the events of the night previous – with varying degrees of clarity, mind you.

After ditching the others at the club, Edgeworth brought Ema back to his apartment, with some pretty intense making out along the way. By the time the two of them actually got _inside_, Ema was ready for some real action – and I do mean real action. Of course, this was an opportune moment for Edgeworth to employ the assistance of Mask*DeMasque brand condoms. Right? _Right?_

The prosecutor's brain went on system overload. He remembered everything _after_ that point. Boy did he remember; he'll soon not forget! But the most critical detail of that night, the difference between making it through this situation unscathed or not, simply would not come back to him. Did he use protection? He must have! No way in this world or the next would Miles Edgeworth forget to use a rubber. He was entirely too careful for that kind of mistake! This thought calmed the frazzled gentleman until he remembered one minuscule detail: he was completely plastered last night.

Being a prosecutor, and a prosecutor's job being to doubt, Edgeworth jumped out of bed, searching the room for any sign of a used condom. There was none. The room was _clean._ He began to panic, pacing around looking for some way out of this death trap. When he was ready to collapse from so much pacing, the young woman, who had been sound asleep in the meantime, let out a groggy yawn and sat up, stretching.

"Good morning, Mr. Edgeworth," Ema greeted him, oblivious to the fact that she was naked.

"....Good morning," he mumbled in response, keeping his head low while wincing. Edgeworth felt his face burn scarlet with shame.

"My head really hurts. I guess I drank too much, last night, huh?" She tilted her head and furrowed her brow a bit. "What's the matter, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"..."

"Mr. Edgeworth?"

"..."

_How can she be so clueless and innocent after last night?!_

"Um, Ema, I have–"

"Oh, no!" Ema exclaimed out of the blue, clutching the comforter to her chest. "Don't tell me...last night...did we?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and glossy with fear. Edgeworth nodded solemnly, still a little red. "D-did you use p-protection?" She spoke in the same way one would play Minesweeper. In a sense, she was.

_Now is the time, Miles. How are you going to break it to her?_

Edgeworth opened his mouth several times in hopes of a reasonable explanation following, but it never happened. The normally verbose prosecutor was at a loss for words. A complete loss for words. And his inability to answer was response enough for Ema, who was now crying.

"This is _terrible!_" she screamed in between sobs. "What am I going to do?! I can't raise a child! I can barely look after myself!"

Miles stood there, unable to say anything. He desperately wanted to comfort the girl, but he was the one who got them into this mess. Children? Of course he didn't want them! Little kids drove Edgeworth up a wall! Then again, the prosecuting attorney was getting on in years, and who would carry on the Edgeworth name once he was gone? Miles never had any siblings, after all. He spoke up.

"It's not all bad, Ema," he started, unsure of where was going to pull his argument from. "I mean, there's a chance that you won't conceive."

"Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth, but that chance is a slim one. I think I should go now."

With that, Ema dressed herself and left without saying goodbye.

In the prosecutors' office, Lana sat at her desk, unsuccessfully trying to focus on the case file in front of her. Another run-of-the-mill murder case that she'd probably end up assigning to Payne. It would suit him very well – unbelievably boring. Working in law enforcement must have desensitized Lana to murder because at the moment other thoughts were fighting for her attention.

First thought, Ema. The girl never came home last night, and she never bothered to call. Lana left her younger sister a message, but it was unlikely Ema would listen to it. If there was one thing Ema proved to fail at, it was checking her phone regularly. Lana was fairly confident that she was okay, but she couldn't help but worry. After all, Ema had been drinking straight vodka that night, and vodka isn't something you drink by itself. Hopefully Edgeworth took care of her sister.

Edgeworth. Lana resisted the urge to bang her head against the desk when she remembered Edgeworth and Larry's words from last night. Ema and Edgey? She still couldn't wrap her mind around that pairing. For one thing, Miles was too old for a girl like Ema. True, age is only a number, but at some point a line has to be drawn!

The Head Prosecutor suddenly felt the urge to scrub her brain with a shower brush and a bottle of bleach as the thought of her sister becoming Mrs. Miles Edgeworth plagued her.

_Dear God, let somebody interrupt right now and take my mind off of this insanity!_

From inside her handbag, Lana's cell began vibrating.

_...Thank you, God._

Gratefully, Lana snatched up her phone and answered without looking at the number on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Lana?" The sound of Ema's voice removed any glee Lana had before she picked up. "Lana, are you there?"

Lana's stomach collapsed in on itself.

_Why, God? Why?_

"Um, yeah, I'm here. What's up?" Lana's guts lurched. Somehow she knew that things were not going to turn out well.

"Are you busy right now? I need to talk to you."

_Oh God, no..._

"Um, no, I'm not busy right now." Lana glanced at the clock on the wall. It was getting close to lunch time. Perfect time to push that boring murder case to the side. "How about you meet me here and then we'll go out and talk over lunch?"

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Ema?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'll meet you at your office." The line went dead. Frantic, Lana began pacing around her office, pausing at the water cooler to get a drink. Then she continued her pacing. What did Ema need to tell her? Was it what she thought it was? Lana hoped against hope that the details her sister was about to recount were the ones she was wracking her brain over. It absolutely couldn't be that. Anything but _that_.

In the meantime, Edgeworth was having difficulties of his own. After Ema stormed out of his apartment, mortified, he couldn't help but panic. He most very likely broke the cardinal rule of the nightlife, and breaking that rule had terrible, terrible repercussions. Life altering ones.

While in this state of panic, Edgeworth walked the halls, pretending to look for someone, but made it a point to avoid the vicinity of Lana's office. After most probably impregnating his boss's sister, things were bound to be weird and awkward.

He checked his watch. The hour was rolling upon noon – the perfect time to book it and get something on his stomach. He didn't really feel like eating, but it was the best excuse he had to leave. So the prodigy of a prosecutor snagged his briefcase and phone and bolted for the lobby.

Unfortunately for Miles, an unexpected (to him, at least) visitor was standing at the front desk. In her usual lab coat, Ema leaned over the desk, asking the receptionist if her sister was in. At first, Edgey was in a bit of a trance, quickly scanning the girl's twenty-something year old frame, but then he caught himself. And he realized that he did not want to be seen by her right now. Forget that, he'd sooner die!

With no other way of hiding, Edgeworth ducked behind an obscenely large potted fern.

After confirming that her sister was indeed in her office, Ema headed towards an elevator. At the same time, Winston Payne approached the plant his superior was crouching next to. Seeing the man behaving so childishly in the middle of a law office was indeed strange. And Winston made no hesitation to point this out.

"What are you doing there, Mr. Edgeworth? Hiding?"

"...No, I like sitting next to potted plants," Miles responded with biting sarcasm.

"Who are you hiding from?" Payne asked as he looked up to see Ema waiting for the next available elevator. Edgeworth peeked around the side of the pot and then pulled his head back out of sight. "The girl? Lana's sister? Why on earth would you–" He was cut off by Edgeworth silently shushing him. A ding alerted the two men that an elevator door was opening, and Winston made sure Ema was on her way up before talking again. "She's gone. What's this all about?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know," Edgeworth spat. He dusted off his slacks and picked up his briefcase.

"Come on, Edgey. Tell me. How bad could it be?"

"If I tell you, you can't let anyone else know about it." Edgeworth gave Payne an intense death glare as he spoke. "If word of this gets around the building, you will be sorry."

Although Winston wasn't entirely sure what his coworker could legally do to make his life a living hell, he agreed to the terms nonetheless, swearing he wouldn't tell a single soul what happened.

"I slept with her." He said simply, his cheeks as red as his suit.

"...So? It's not like she's pregnant! What's the big deal?"

"That's the thing. I think she might be pregnant, but I don't remember if I used a condom or not."

"WHAT?!" Payne's voice carried over to the front desk, catching many people's attention. Edgeworth urged him to shut up, frantically covering the man's mouth with his hand.

"Shut up, you imbecile! I just said no one can know about this! I don't even know why I'm telling you. It's not like we're friends." Letting his hand fall, Edgeworth walked away, heading straight for the glass doors. Winston, however, had a malicious grin on his face.

* * *

I kinda feel like I'm failing at this. It certainly took me long enough to finally fricken FINISH this second chapter. From what I can tell, the direction I'm going in with this is pretty unexpected. Even I was a little surprised. I never intended to hint at LanaxGumshoe. It just sort of happened. And I'm generally a MaggeyxGumshoe fan, so this will be interesting. Thank you for the reviews and I hope to see more. And sorry for the long hiatus. I fail at keeping things going! D=


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